The List
by Mortem Sanctus
Summary: A royal escort mission gone wrong lands a young Fire Nation lieutenant in deep trouble with his superiors. Desperate for vengeance and redemption, he embarks on a mission directly from Firelord Zuko himself. A mission of such great importance to the Fire Nation, that not even the Avatar is allowed to know about it. OCxKya, with canon cameos. Rated T for now, but that may change.
1. Prologue: Tell Us a Story

_**Mort: Thank you, everyone, for checking out this story! Now, I have to do the sad and sorry task of giving you all the safety briefing!**_

**DISCLAIMER: Mort does not own A:TLA, and probably never will (no matter how cool that would be). All rights and dues go to the creators of the show, Nickelodeon, etc. **

_**Safety briefing done. Now, let's get this story started!**_

* * *

The crash and roar of machinery echoed through the mountains of the northern Fire Nation, where a construction crew was repairing the wall of an estate, high on a cliff.

The owner of the estate, a man by the name of Feng, ducked back into his mostly intact house for a glass of water. He had to give it to his wife; she'd done a great job of cleaning up the inside from when the house had been ransacked a few months earlier. "Kya!" he called, looking around the place, "Where are you-?"

He was cut off by an unearthly war screech, followed by a small airbender tackling him from the side. "What in the name of-!?" Feng yelled, caught off his guard, "Meelo! What do you think you're doing?!"

His young nephew looked up, and grinned devilishly, "Aunt Kya said I could play with you, just as long as I made sure to make it a surprise!"

Laughing, Feng picked the little airbender child up, and set him on his broad shoulder. "Did she now?" he said, in mock disapproval, "Well, I'll just have to have a word with your Aunt Kya! I'm an old man, you know. I can't take surprises like I used to."

Meelo sent out a small gust of air, propelling himself off of Feng's shoulder, and then took off running down the hall. "Ah! Old people!" he screeched, vanishing up the stairs toward the guest bedroom where he and his sisters were staying.

Feng watched him go, sighing. He'd been surprised, actually, when his brother-in-law Tenzin had asked him to watch his three oldest children for a few weeks. It was understandable that he and Pema wanted some time alone to take care of the new baby, Rohan, but the little estate had already proven to be insecure.

They'd been to the place months before, as the airbending family was fleeing the Equalist revolt in Republic City. Tenzin had believed his sister's house to be too far removed to be found, but plans very rarely worked out in the end. Being a former soldier, Feng knew this more than anyone.

However, he hadn't been nearly as prepared as he should've been when the Equalist airships had come knocking. They'd wrecked his home, kidnapped his family, and left him to die, wounded on the cliff. Somehow, he'd managed to survive, and Tenzin had rescued him just days later.

The damages caused by the Equalist attack were the reason why his house was currently under repair, and Feng had only just recently returned to live here. "Kya!" he called once more, looking around.

"Yes?" The soft voice came from behind him, and he whirled around to see the most beautiful woman he'd ever met in his life. Her once black hair was steadily turning gray, and she wasn't as thin as she'd used to be, but to Feng, Kya was still as beautiful as the day they'd met.

The old man smiled broadly. "The workers say they're getting ready to pack it up for the night," Feng said, moving closer to his wife, "And they won't be back for a few days. Something about bad weather coming up."

They kissed briefly, and she pushed past him toward the kitchen. "Well, isn't that just great?" she said, sighing, "We'll have to put up the tarps over in the north wing. They still haven't fixed that hole, and I don't want rain getting in."

Feng nodded, still smiling. "I'll make sure they do that before they leave," he replied, bowing low before her, "Is there anything else your majesty requires?"

Laughing, Kya pushed him gently, "Don't 'your majesty' me! Just do it!"

"As you wish…your majesty!" Feng replied, and ducked out of the room before she threw something at him.

* * *

Later that evening, Feng went upstairs to check on the three children. He put his ear against the girls' door, and was surprised to hear them still awake. He concentrated hard, and could barely make out what they were saying.

"I've already heard that one!" his nephew exclaimed, fitfully, "I want to hear a different story!"

"Yeah, me too!" he heard Ikki say.

There was a sigh, and the sound of a book being dropped to the floor. "That's all the stories there are!" Jinora stated, sounding frustrated, "I can't just have a different story for every night!"

At this, Feng opened the door. "That seems to be quite a problem you've got there!" he said, smiling.

"Uncle Feng!" all three of the children yelled, shocked.

"I…I'm sorry we stayed up so late!" Jinora stuttered out, apologetically, "It's just…Meelo…he can't sleep without a story…"

The old man held up one hand to stop his frantic niece. "I understand," he said, calmly, "Your cousin, Chang, was the same way growing up."

All three of them looked surprised. Chang, their cousin and Feng's eldest son, was an officer in the Joint Forces Fleet. To think that he used to need a bedtime story was shocking, to say the least.

"That must mean you know lots of stories!" Meelo exclaimed, jubilantly.

"That I do," Feng answered, his eyes going distant, "That I do…" He shook his head, and refocused back on his airbending nieces and nephew.

"Tell us the story of how you and Aunt Kya met!" Ikki demanded. Jinora nodded eagerly.

"That's a long one," Feng replied, chuckling, "But we've got a few weeks, so I think I can arrange that." Suddenly, he leaned down, looking around as if checking for others in the room. "What I'm about to tell you is a big secret," he told them, in a conspiratorial whisper, "You've got to promise to not tell anyone!"

"We promise!" Jinora said, quickly.

Meelo grew impatient, "Just tell us the story!"

"Alright," Feng said, chuckling, "Now, this happened a long time ago…"

* * *

_**Mort: This'll be the last time I give a little note at the end, so listen closely! Your opinions and comments about the story are important, because they allow me to improve the story and make it more enjoyable for you. Please review, whenever the urge hits! Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!**_


	2. Misplaced Trust

_Cowards die many times before their deaths; _

_The valiant never taste of death but once. _

_Of all the wonders that I have yet heard, _

_It seems to me most strange that men should fear, _

_Seeing that death, a necessary end, _

_Will come when it will come._

-William Shakespeare, _Julius Caesar; Act II, Scene II_

* * *

"Sir, watch out!" The sudden shout brought the young Lt. Feng, lost in his own thoughts, back to reality. Pulling sharply on the reins of his komodo rhino, he barely avoided walking the beast right over the edge of a cliff.

"Thank you, sergeant!" he called back, patting the shocked animal on the neck to calm him, "It's alright, Bruce. We'll be alright."

Sgt. Huan, the one who had yelled, nodded in acknowledgement, and continued riding.

Feng sighed, cursing his clumsiness. He'd only been commanding this platoon for a few weeks. The men respected him, but he was still in the trial stage of his command. This was the time when the soldiers under Feng's command decided whether or not he was actually capable of commanding them. Almost riding his rhino off a cliff definitely did not help that particular cause.

Regaining his composure, he glanced back at the carriage his platoon was escorting through the mountains. "Is everything alright back there, your majesty?" he called.

The door opened, and the Firelady Mai poked her head out. "Everything is fine, lieutenant," she replied, regally, "I thank you for asking." Feng saluted her, and then returned his attention to the road in front of him.

It was a true honor, to be escorting the Firelady back to the Fire Nation capitol, one that any unit would've given their right hands to get. However, for a relatively new commander such as Feng, it was a large source of stress.

The only reason he'd been tasked with escorting her in the first place was because of a mistake made by the royal travel planners. The royal guardsmen who had been sent earlier only had orders to take the Firelady's _children_ to the capitol. Being the good little guards they were, they followed their orders to the letter, leaving the Firelady stranded at her winter home in the southern Fire Nation.

Feng's cavalry platoon had been dispatched from the nearby military base to be her escort home. Mai was placing her life in their hands, and none of the soldiers wanted to let her down.

Feng had taken every precaution he could think of, and a few extra that had been suggested by Sgt. Huan. The Firelady's carriage was in the middle of the group, with a cavalryman riding on either side of it. Feng himself rode directly in front of it, with six men in front of him, and the other six behind the carriage. Her carriage was protected on all sides, and every man was constantly alert for threats.

They'd made it almost all the way through the mountains without any incidents, and the wide farmland before the capitol was in sight at the bottom of the trail. Breathing a sigh of relief, Feng relaxed in his saddle for the first time in four days. Once they made the flatlands, it was a straight shot to their destination. The trip was practically over!

A rumbling noise that sounded from above put paid to such thoughts, and the young lieutenant snapped back to alertness, quickly searching for the source. One of his soldiers looked up, and yelled in alarm. Following the other man's gaze, Feng's heart sank. Cries of fear and surprise echoed throughout his platoon as the mountains above them began to crumble, sending large boulders down on to the unsuspecting party.

"Get the carriage out of here!" Feng yelled, frantically turning to the Firelady's transport, "Hurry u-"

His words morphed into a scream as a large boulder shattered the path under his mount's feet, causing them both to go tumbling down the mountainside. As he fell, he watched more rocks come smashing down on his platoon, crushing some of his men, and sending others off the cliff just like him.

His last sight before he hit the ground was of the Firelady's carriage tipping over, and plummeting down the mountainside. Lt. Feng had one brief feeling of despair before he himself impact, and his entire world went dark.

* * *

Pain...so much pain...that was the first thing that penetrated the darkness of Lt. Feng's unconscious state. It felt like his entire body was on fire, with the hottest coals around his chest and right arm.

He barely heard a moan escape his lips, only really noticing how much his throat hurt when it made the noise. Then, there were voices.

"He's awake!"

"Poor bastard. That fall really messed him up."

"I'll put him back under; give his body more time to heal itself before he starts to wake up for real."

The pain in his arm suddenly became amplified as someone grabbed it, and stabbed something into his wrist. The soldier wanted to jerk his arm away, but just thinking about moving caused him to mentally cringe.

After a few more seconds of agony, he suddenly relaxed. The pain was still there, but it felt like it was behind a thick, glass wall; noticeable, but easy to ignore. Slowly, the battered cavalryman slipped back into darkness.

* * *

When Feng awoke once more, the pain had faded into a dull ache. How long he'd been layed out, he really couldn't say, but judging by how stiff he felt, it must have been a while.

Slowly, the young officer started to open his eyes, and had to blink several times to get his sight back.

For the first time, Feng got a good look of the room he'd been brought to. The place was definitely a hospital, characterized by the sparse decoration and sterile smell.

Trying to sit up, the soldier barely made it a few inches off the mattress, before the pain made him fall back. His arm felt like it was on fire, and his chest felt like a thousand needles were piercing his lungs. A broken arm, and a few broken ribs. He relaxed himself with a sigh. He couldn't think of anything that could make this less perfect.

Angry voices outside of his room caused the soldier to close his eyes once more, and groan. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, they'd leave him alone.

The door opened, and the voices suddenly became clearer. The first voice sounded like one of the doctors who'd been in his room the first time he'd woken up. "He's still in critical condition, your majesty!" the doctor said, frantically, "There's no way we can wake him..."

The second voice cut him off, angrily, "The instant you can, Doctor, I want him awake. I want answers, and I want them as soon as possible!" That voice was all too familiar, even though Feng had only heard it once in his life.

"Even when he does wake up, your majesty, we should let him adjust. He has just lost his entire unit..." the doctor trailed off, and Feng could feel the temperature in the room rising.

"I don't care!" the second man yelled, and the lieutenant could hear flames rising from somewhere, "My wife is dead, and this man is the only person still alive who saw what happened! I want answers, and I want them as soon as possible, doctor!"

His two visitors left the room, still arguing, but closed the door behind them.

The young lieutenant barely managed to choke out a sob, as an overwhelming feeling of despair welled up inside him. Not only had he failed in his mission to protect the Firelady, but now the Firelord wanted to question him, in person.

Everything; his honor, his career, his family name; all of it was going up in smoke right in front of his eyes. For the first time in his life, Feng actively considered killing himself. He just wanted to end himself with at least some of his honor intact.

Spotting a scalpel, the young soldier desperately tried to move, but the pain was far too much to bear. After only a few minutes of effort, he slumped back onto his bed, weeping openly.

Falling into a fitful sleep, Feng half wished he didn't wake up ever again. He'd been trusted with the life of the Firelord's wife, and he'd failed. When he next woke up, he would have to face the consequences for his failures, and the soldier could think of a million things he'd rather be doing...


End file.
